Snip, snip, snip

This week has been a pretty busy week, I've had lots of orders, lots to make, and a poorly little Tinker to look after!  This evening after the children had eaten their tea, I was sat at the table cutting out some recipe card gingerbread men (I know, I know, I really should use gingerbread people, but it is so conditioned that it just doesn't roll off my tongue, I have to correct myself!!!!) for my Gingerbread Sets and my Budding Chef Cooking Sets...

... and both of the children joined me with their scissors.  

We had a lovely time, it was very relaxed, and lovely to see both of the children snipping away and drawing without any direction.  This is what they did.

The Tinker (aged 3) created lots of bits, and drew 'circles' on some of them.

The Fairy (aged 7) created a story.  this is how it went...

A boat sinks at sea (I think the curve that I had cut reminded her of a wave which must have been how the story began), what you see in the water is a man, a lady, a child, a suitcase and a straw doll (I'm not sure where she got straw doll from, but that is what she said it was!).  The man and the suitcase and doll go under the water and don't come back up again!

They see a life belt in the water...

... but can the life belt (er... it sort of turned into a rubber ring by this point!) save them from the sharks?  The lady swims as fast as she can to the child...

... but they both get gobbled up!

I love it.  I'll have to do that more often and see what they come up with!

Happy weekend, hope you get to do some making :-)

Master baker at work!!!

I have had a lovely day with the little Tinker today.  We decided that we would make some gingerbread men (people) using the baking set he got for Christmas (he had been hankering after one for a while!).  I made up the gingerbread before he came into the kitchen, and left it to cool before he put on his pinny and set to work...

... rolling...

...cutting...

... popping on to the baking tray

... and putting in the oven to make these delicious little people (and they really are delicious!).

After lunch we set about icing them.  We used Royal Icing (the stuff you can buy from supermarkets that you just add water to) and some tiny little chocolate beans that I'd found in Asda.  I put spots of icing in the appropriate places, I used the pointy end of a teaspoon to do it, but wished I had an icing syringe (I love this Tala one!).  My husband informs me that some of their eyes are a little scary!  The Tinker then put on the buttons (I suspect more went in his mouth!)

The very last one, he did himself.  He was fantastic to watch, really careful about where he was putting his decorations.  I fully expected him to cover it in both icing and chocolate beans!

A lovely activity to do.  Gingerbread is a great dough for children to work with, it feels great, doesn't mind being handled and doesn't tear easily.  

The recipe I used comes (in disguise as a gingerbread man)with these lovely 'Budding Chef's Cooking Sets', which can also be personalized.  They are available to buy here.

And on a completely different note, tomorrow I will be letting you know what you need to do to become the owner of one of these lovely Foxy Loxy Journals that I will be giving away in my New Year Giveaway.  Don't miss out!!!